Outdoor Recreation Episodes

Kaatscast walks a stretch of the Finger Lakes Trail in Delaware Wild Forest with Heather Houskeeper — herbalist, long-distance hiker, author, and founder of the School of Plant and Place Connection — to talk about foraging, plant medicine, and what it means to truly belong in a landscape. Along the trail, Heather identifies edible and medicinal plants including garlic mustard, jewelweed, and dandelion, and explains how to approach foraging safely, ethically, and with a spirit of reciprocity. ...

The Catskill Park's most visited corridor — Kaaterskill Falls and the Kaaterskill Clove area along Route 23A — may be heading for a major management overhaul. In this extra edition, host Brett Barry sits down with Jeff Senterman, Executive Director of the Catskill Center, to dig into a newly released Visitor Use Management report that recommends capping daily visitors at 1,000, implementing timed entry and advance reservations, and evaluating a public shuttle service to replace the recently shut...

Ken Posner is an ultrarunner, barefoot hiker, and challenge-seeker whose latest book, Chasing the Grid, chronicles his quest to summit 35 Catskill high peaks in every month—a challenge known as “The Grid.” That’s 420 climbs, through every season, in pursuit of something deeper than endurance. In this episode, Ken shares how the experience became a spiritual journey, shaped by minimalism, transcendentalist thinking, and a deep connection to the land. Available now 📚 Chasing the Grid: An Ult...

In this episode, Brett hits the trail with longtime Catskill 3500 Club member (and current president) Michael Bongar for a hike to Southwest Hunter Mountain—one of the club’s required peaks and a rite of passage for aspiring members. Founded in 1962, the Catskill 3500 Club encourages hikers to summit 33 peaks over 3,500 feet—plus four of them again in winter. But it’s more than a checklist. Through trail maintenance, education, and conservation advocacy, the club fosters a deep connection to ...

🎙 Platte Clove Preserve: A Small Parcel with Big Impact Presented by Kaatscast: The Catskills Podcast Host Brett Barry visits the Platte Clove Preserve with Jeff Senterman and Kali Bird of the Catskill Center to explore the surprising significance of a newly acquired 3.6-acre parcel. Though small in size, this land plays a vital role in preserving wilderness access, ecological integrity, and the scenic character of the Catskills. The episode also reflects on Jeff and Kali’s 10-year journey with ...

Adjacent to the Willowemoc Wild Forest, in the Sullivan Catskills, a 3100-acre parcel once eyed for development is now safeguarded for future generations. In this episode, we chronicle the Open Space Institute’s landmark deal, and potentially the largest acquisition for the Catskills in nearly 25 years. From the quiet negotiations with landowners to the sweeping implications for climate resilience and watershed health, this episode dives deep into what makes Blue Hill so important to the regi...

Sure, you can drive from NYC to the Catskills in just under 3 hours. But as "Doobby," the taxi driver in Planes, Trains and Automobiles says, "You don't see nothing on the interstate but interstate." In this episode, host Brett Barry walks with ⁠Casey Kelbaugh⁠ on a stretch of the "Long Path," a 358-mile trail from the George Washington Bridge in New York City to the edge of the Adirondack Park. Casey recounts his 27-day hike from East 4th Street in Manhattan to his cabin in the Catskills via th...

In this episode, Captain Drewski of the Delhi Polecats , formerly known as the Delhi Vintage Baseball Club, joins us to discuss the revival of vintage baseball in Delaware County, New York. Drewski shares the historical significance of a 200-year-old baseball challenge documented in an 1825 edition of the Delaware Gazette , marking the earliest recorded organized game of baseball in the United States . The Hamden 9, as part of the town's bicentennial celebrations, continue the tradition of pl...

This episode explores an overnight camping trip led by Melissa Goodwin, a licensed guide and founder of ' Girl Gotta Hike ,' aimed at encouraging women to connect with the outdoors. Olivia Sippel, our production intern, shares her first camping experience in the Catskills, guided by Melissa, also known by her trail name 'Click.' The story delves into how Melissa's passion for hiking evolved, and the creation of her hiking service, with a focus on women and accessibility. The episode highlights t...

More than Maps: Insights from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference In this episode of Kaatscast, host Brett Barry interviews Melissa Cascini, Senior Program Coordinator for the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, during a hike on the Upper Ridge Trail at the Catskills Visitor Center. Melissa shares her journey with the organization, highlighting the importance of their iconic, durable trail maps and the broader scope of the Trail Conference's activities, including trail maintenance, pub...

Paul Misko is an avid Catskills hiker, who –– true to his Boy Scout roots –– is always prepared. As spring rolls in and we pull out the hiking boots (maybe shaking out some nuts and nesting material from winter mouse habitation), Paul offers a refresher on what to pack for our walks in the woods, plus some best practices for hiking with kids and leading a group. For more, check out Paul's blog, Catskill Forest Adventures. And if you'd like to hear John Burroughs' own account of that ill-fa...

Will Nixon has been writing about Woodstock for decades, including a column in the Woodstock Times, and two popular books--Walking Woodstock, and The Pocket Guide to Woodstock, all in collaboration with writer Michael Perkins, who died in 2022. So when Will suggested we hike Overlook Mountain together to talk 'history,' I knew he'd have much to reveal. On today's Kaatscast: join us for a history hike, with Will Nixon. --- From Atlas Obscura: "Overlook Mountain House: The Skeletal Remains o...

Plattekill Mountain, in Roxbury, is the last of the Catskills' independent ski areas, boasting 1100 vertical feet, 40 trails, and 4 lifts. But those statistics aren't necessarily the draw at this laid-back family-run resort. Plattekill's rustic lodge, with its rough pine walls and wood burning stove, is reminiscent of other small ski areas that were more prevalent a few decades ago. When we reached out for an interview, our email was quickly answered by none other than the owner. Join us f...

In July, a small group of hikers was apprehended and ticketed for leaving two Adirondack chairs at the summit of Slide Mountain. Those hikers' actions, while misguided, may have been good-intentioned. But they fly in the face of outdoor ethics and "leaving no trace." At the core of "Leave No Trace" are 7 principles that provide a framework of minimum impact practices for safe and sustainable experiences in nature. Moe Lemire is a licensed outdoor guide and a LNT master educator. We joined him...

The Catskills naturalist John Burroughs once wrote, "The place to observe nature is where you are; the walk to take to-day is the walk you took yesterday. You will not find just the same things: both the observed and the observer has changed; the ship is on another tack in both cases." His 1886 essay, "A Sharp Lookout" predates terms like "sit spot," "forest bathing," and "shinrin-yoku" by about a century. But the sentiment is the same, and Catskills practitioner Lara Land is a master at it. ...

As any skier knows, squeezing into a pair of ski boots can be quite the challenge. For skiers with physical and cognitive disabilities, though, preparing for a day on the slopes can require exponentially more time and effort. But that doesn't stop skiers like Todd Reid, who lives with spina bifida, from savoring a day on skis. At the base of Windham Mountain, the 7200 square foot Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center is headquarters for the Adaptive Sports Foundation, which, for almost 40 years,...

If the Catskills seem busier lately, you're not imagining it. According to a new report, visits to the Catskills more than doubled between 2018 and 2021, when the region welcomed an estimated 12 million travelers––that's roughly equivalent to the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone, combined! The ongoing deluge, it turns out, is the very reason for this report, prepared over two years by the Catskill Advisory Group, or CAG, and recently delivered the New York State Department of Environme...

From the late 19th- to the early 20th-century, passengers could board an Ulster & Delaware train in Kingston and ride straight up through the Catskills, to Oneonta. These days, you can still experience a 4-mile stretch of that track, between Mt. Tremper and Phoenicia, with one small caveat. You have to pedal! Rail Explorers has repurposed a few such stretches of track nationwide, including in Rhode Island, Cooperstown, Las Vegas, and the Catskills. Join us as we pedal a "quad explorer" (the "Cad...

If you're looking for a unique way to experience Catskills views, there's no better time to check out the Catskills' 6 hiker-accessible fire towers! The 2022 Catskills Fire Tower Challenge encourages hikers to visit all 6, with the added bonus of a challenge patch, a subscription to Conservationist magazine, and other prizes. We met with the Catskill Center's Olivia Bernard, a Visitor Experience Coordinator at the Catskills Visitor Center, for a rundown of the challenge, a little fire tower h...

If a tick bites you in the woods, and it's free of disease-causing pathogens, does it matter? We wanted to know how many of our Catskills ticks are pathogenetic, so we sent 6 of them to the Thangamani Lab at Upstate Medical University, in Syracuse, NY. You, too, can send any New York tick, and Dr. Thangamani and his team will test it (for free!) for Lyme disease-causing bacteria, and 16 additional pathogens. It's all part of a massive citizen science research initiative tracking distribution of ...

On May 11, 2019, the Phoenicia Library presented live, Outdoor Guides of the Catskills: The “Adventure Experts” -- this is a recording of that presentation, featuring Will Soter, co-founder of Upstate Adventure Guides and the president of the New York State Outdoor Guide Association (NYSOGA); Legendary fishing guide Hank Rope, owner of Big Indian Guide Service; Lifelong angler and expert guide Cliff Schwark, a founder of the Catskill Mt. Chapter of Trout Unlimited; and Patty Rudge, the first wom...

Over the years, Silver Hollow Audio has produced a number of audio driving guides, including tours of art, history, and outdoor recreation. This week, we've pulled out our outdoor adventure guide, produced in 2016 in association with the Catskill Mountains Scenic Byway. It's chock full of ideas for your next hiking, paddling, cycling, or fishing trip. Peter Manning is our tour guide, with specific suggestions along Route 28, heading west from Olive to Andes. Plus, we'll hear from some of the Cat...

At one time, New York state had more than 100 active fire towers, the purpose of which was to help lookouts –– you guessed it –– spot fires. These days, some of the remaining towers have been repurposed for recreational use. At Bramley Mountain, in the western Catskills, the fire tower was dismantled in the 1970s, but a local family has been keeping it safe in a nearby barn. Now that Bramley has an official hiking trail, that tower is destined, once again, for the summit. Laurie Rankin tells us ...

Hankering for some baseball circa 1895? Teams like Mountain Athletic Club and the Bovina Dairymen are playing vintage "base ball" right here in the Catskills. Spectators and players welcome! We spoke with the M.A.C.'s Collin Miller during spring practice on Creamery Field in Bovina, NY. Collin's team is "fashioned after the original team established in Griffin Corners, New York in 1895 by yeast magnates Julius and Max Fleischmann. Thanks to M.A.C., the Bovina Dairymen, and the Delhi Base Ball Cl...